If you’re anything like me, then you often find yourself foraging around on your workbench for a piece of solder, only to discover that once you find it, you can’t remember whether it is hard, medium, or easy solder. I try to use the bending method to mark my wire solder once I cut a few inches off from the spool. I loop it like a lowercase ‘e’ for easy. Give it a hard right-angle bend for hard. And bend it twice for medium. I must admit, though, that sometimes this bending method takes more time than I am willing to commit to marking my solder.

So when I found this tip in Contenti’s newsletter, I was quite excited, because it is faster and more practical than my current bending methods. If you use sheet or wire solder, color code it with a Sharpie marking pen. Use red for hard, blue for medium, and green for easy. That way, if you find stray solder snipets on your desk or floor, with a quick glance you’ll know exactly what you have by the color. It also makes it easier to put different types on your solder station, so you don’t have to stop each time to change solders.

To find more helpful tips and tricks, visit Contenti’s webiste here.

Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008

Gallery 1: art6 poets. Gallery 2: painting, prints, photography, drawing, and sculpture.

Location: 6 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 343-1406
Gallery hours: Thursday-Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m.

Make a trip to downtown Richmond and be sure to stop by the dynamic and ecclectic members’ exhibition this month. We will have a second opening on Friday, August 1, from 6 - 10 p.m.

I am showing two abstract, experimental paintings in this exhibition. The paintings are composed of oil on canvas and mixed media. I used my silver and copper metal filings in both pieces, which creates an interesting texture as well as a glitter effect. One piece already sold on the first opening night!

Be sure to check out the art6 calendar for special events, musical performances, and even art workshops!

I’ll be travelling to Bethesda, MD this weekend to exhibit in the Bethesda Artist Market located in downtown Bethesda Plaza. It looks like the weather is supposed to be pretty nice (well, nice for these parts in the middle of July, anyway). If you are in the area, please stop by and visit. I have a wonderful corner location in front of the fountain. You can’t miss me!

I’ll be showing two new lines of work. One is called the “Recycled Bits Collection” and it is composed of recycled silver. You can get a sneak preview on my Etsy webstore.

I’m still working on a clever name for the other new line, which has a mod look and incorporates found organic materials, such as birch bark, flower petals, dried leaves, and even the shells of insects, which are forever sealed behind clear, epoxy resin. I can’t wait for this line to debut on the internet!

The Artist Market takes place on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. If you’re in the area, stop in and check it out! Bethesda is only about 20 minutes from downtown D.C.

At long last Spring has made her great debut - tender flowers poking through the damp earth. My azaelas are ablaze with color and the catepillars are wriggling higher and higher into the trees. In the words of Robin Williams: “Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”

Come party with me this weekend at ARTS IN THE PARK at Byrd Park in Richmond, Virginia. I’ll be exhibiting an array of new designs at booth #386. The event is free and open to the public and takes place rain or shine on Saturday, May 3, from 11 - 6 and Sunday, May 4, from 11 - 5.

For directions and more info, visit this site: http://www.richmondartsinthepark.com/

Move over, Michael. You’ve got competition!!! This little guy has certainly stolen my heart. He’s my nephew, Joey! This photo was taken this past Christmas, during my family visit.

Since I live five states away from most of my family, I don’t get to see my little Valentine very often. So it’s quite exciting to experience his growth and development in quarterly doses.

Although Joe is three feet tall already, he’s only 20 months old. Apparantly there are some giraffe-genes in the family. Aside from my unusally long neck, I think I missed the boat on the tall genes. But not my brother, Dave. At 6′5, I’d say Joe is taking after his papa.

Last time I saw him, Joey was becoming quite interested in language. If you asked him who he was, he responded, “Doe.” And he kept leading me around the house and asking, “What’s that? What’s that? What’s that?” And then afer I had answered about twenty What’s that questions, he would smile as if to say, “I knew that already. I just wanted to see how long I could make you answer questions.” Yeah, that’s frighteningly a little reminiscent of my brother, Dave, too. Joe is like a little mini-Dave. A Dave/Joe hybrid. A Doe.

This is just too cute! I can definately relate to that cat.

Having sat as a member on the jury for two seasons of the annual Mother’s day weekend Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, I understand the importance of a strong booth slide. A highly competitive juried show, the Art Fair at Laumeier receives over 1,000 applications, of which only 150 are selected each year to participate. The most competitive categories are routinely Jewelry and Ceramics. Oftentimes when deciding between two or more artists who have work of comparable quality, the determining factor comes down to the booth slide. Which artist has a more professional, cohesive booth display?

I’ve been displaying and selling my work at both juried and non-juried art festivals for a decade and I have come a long way in terms on my own booth display. It has been a constant process of refinement, however, not-to-mention, that as my body of work changes, so does the way that I’d like to showcase it.

Above is a photo of the most recent version of my booth display, taken during the Powhatan Festival of the Grape 2007. It was autumn, so I selected natural and autumnal colors and even used some colorful, fallen leaves in my merchandising. Draping pendants or earrings on the leaves just made the work POP!

As I stated before, my booth display has been a constant process of refinement, one that I’m still learning to perfect. That said, I thank you in advance for feedback, display suggestions, tips, or tricks that you’d like to share.

From mixed metals to mixed materials, my inspirations are constantly evolving. I have been finding myself drawn to natural fiber beads lately. I found these great donut-shaped beads, hand wrapped in dyed hemp, from my local bead store, from which I created a new line of whimsical, dangly earrings, called, you guessed it, “Fruit Loops”. Selling at $22 a pair, you can find them on my shop at Etsy.

Another discovery during my hunt for inspiration and excitement, came in the form of a 20 mm hand crocheted bead! These, too, insisted on the formation of a brand new line of jewelry aptly named, “The Crocheted Ornament” line. This line comes in several styles and colors, most of which are available at my Etsy shop, as well.

I didn’t really need another reason to celebrate this Holiday season…but I got one anyway!

If you happen to come across a copy of 500 Metal Vessels by Lark Books in your local Borders Books or Barnes & Noble, be sure to check out page 360. Want to know why? Because I’m in it!

My copper vessel, The Five Elements, was among the 500 vessels selected for inclusion by renowned metalsmith, Fred Fenster. You can purchase this beautiful, inspirational, full-color book at a great price from Contenti. Check it out.

In honor of the publication (my first, for the record) I’m offering a great Holiday Special!

Spend $65 or more (before shipping) in either of my online shops (www.dreamspiralart.etsy.com or www.dreamspiralart.com) and receive a free pair of Crazy Wire Ball Earrings (a $19 to $22 value)! These have been one of my most popular designs for years and they would make a fantastic gift!

Be sure to specify the color you want (Silver, Gold, or Silver with Gold) in the note to seller during check-out or just send me an email to let me know. Visit my ETSY shop to see photos of the three options.

Offer ends December 15 th.

The annual Cash and Carry Holiday Show takes place at the Lynchburg Academy of Fine Arts located at 600 Main St, Lynchburg, VA 24504. The show will take place from December 7 - 28, 2007 (the preview begins in the Lobby of the Arts & Education Building on Novmeber 20). Artwork from every medium imaginable will be juried in to this year’s show. I have been selected to submit work for this event. See my latest musings in metal and check out this special holiday event. For more information, please contact the Lynchburg Academy of Fine Arts.